For Trip Participants

Talk to the trip leader about the physical demands of the trip and decide whether or not you are fit enough to go. Don't be afraid to push yourself, but if you suspect the trip will be too long or too hard, go for something easier until you are in better shape (physically, mentally, emotionally). If the trip is "beginner friendly" it means that people don't expect that you have all the skills and will look after you, but not necessarily that it's easy.

Pack the essentials. Don't sacrifice safety for a light pack. If you aren't sure what to take, ASK! We are each responsible for ourselves out there.

Tell someone at home of your intended destination and what time you expect to return. Include a bit of leeway into your estimate - see the heading "Broken Board" under VOC awards. Leave the phone numbers of the trip organizers and your driver.

Extended medical insurance is recommended if you are travelling out of the country; it's possible to get a great deal through MEC otherwise try Travel Cuts in the SUB or any other insurance outlet. Consider whether you just want coverage for common accidents (ie for motor vehicle accidents). Covering rock climbing and other "hazardous" activities will increase the cost - if it's allowed at all. Ask - as some policies exclude "mountaineering" in the fine print.

VOC trips are typically posted on the message board as well as being included in the weekly VOCene and wiki. Make sure you attend the pre-trip meeting, as important information is distributed here and rides/food groups are often arranged. If you absolutely cannot make the meeting, contact the leader BEFORE the meeting and work something out.

For Trip Leaders

West Coast conditions - thick bush, short winter days, poor weather, etc. - when combined with the uncertainty of having persons of unknown capabilities along on a trip, can quickly turn the easiest trip into an epic of unimaginable proportions. The following suggestions are intended to help the prospective trip coordinator avoid embarrassing or even tragic incidents on their trip.

Pre-Trip Preparation

Consult guidebooks, maps, air photos, club members, etc. Obtain as much information on the route as possible. Bruce Fairley's "A Guide to Climbing and Hiking in Southwestern BC" is and excellent reference as is John Baldwin's "Exploring the Coast Mountain on Skis" and Matt Gunn's "Scrambles in SW BC"

Obtain a map of the area and know how to use it! Topographic maps may be photocopied at the UBC map library and are available for sale at the Geological Survey of Canada (100 W Pender). Check weather forecasts, snow reports, tide tables and/or road conditions, as applicable.

Decide what the minimum skill requirements are. Is the a beginner friendly trip or not? Does everyone on the trip need to meet the requirements, or is it ok if some fraction do not? Requirements to consider are:

Avalanche assessment and resuce

Belaying

Self sufficiency for top rope anchors

Crevasse rescue trainning

Kayak capsize recovery trainning

Decide if there will be a limit on the number of participants, and what that limit will be. Large groups move slow and are difficult to manage if avalanches or rockfall are a concern.

Decide what safety equipment will be brought on the trip.

Helmet

Ice axe

Crampons

Rope, harness

Rock protection

Snow/ice protection

Avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe

First aid kit

Headlamp

Advertise the trip. All the planning in the world won't be worth much if no one comes along! Mention difficulty, length, equipment needed and any limits you intend to impose on group size. Arrange a time for a pre-trip meeting.

After the pre-trip meeting, leave a complete set of trip details (date, names and addresses of participants, proposed route, date and time of return, equipment carried by the group as well as location and license number of vehicles) with a reliable person who is remaining in town. Leave specific instructions with this person about what constitutes "Failure To Return On Time" and what to do about it.Make sure the to contact this person upon the safe completion of the trip to prevent a rather embarrassing unnecessary rescue.

Pre-Trip Meeting

Some people will not be able to make the meeting - decide in advance what to do with them. Probably getting them to find somebody to represent them at the meeting is easiest for you, unless they are actually learning stuff there in which case maybe attendance should be mandatory (ie. glacier-school).

Inform people of difficulties, strenuousness and dangers to be expected on the trip. Persons who are probably not up to the rigours of the trip should tactfully be referred to an easier one.

Show people the intended route on the map. They may wish to pick up their own copy.

Ensure that all participants have the necessary personal footwear, clothing and equipment.

Arrange for appropriate amounts of group gear to be brought along (tents, stoves, fuel, ropes, etc).

If safety equipment is being brought along, make sure that all participants are sufficiently skilled in its use.

Arrange rides. Do this in such a way that people are not left standing around on rainy street corners when someone's vehicle won't start. Have all vehicles meet at the trailhead or, preferably, in Vancouver to drive up to the trail head together. It's easiest to specify a "driving over the Lions Gate Bridge" time, and how many stops are included in the travel time.

State the conditions, if any, in the event of trip cancellation.

The Trip

Each trip should be equipped with all necessary gear including map, compass, first aid kit, flashlights or headlamps, extra clothing and food, repair kit, etc.

Distribute group gear equitably, taking into account a persons size, fitness and experience. Some redistribution of weight from time to time may be a relief for those lagging behind. Be tactful - egos have been bruised in the past.

Keep the group together if practical, but have pre-determined lunch stops and campsites in case of separation. Be sure everyone knows where these stops will be.

Any group or individual splitting off from the main party should be prepared to function as an independent unit for the trips duration; as often as not, plans to meet later go astray.

At the start of the trip you may wish to initiate a "buddy" system of travel, in which each person stays with one other person for the whole day.

Appoint yourself, or some other reliable, experienced person to bring up the rear and watch for stragglers.

Suggest rest stops when someone appears to be getting tired or is lagging behind.

During cold or wet weather, make sure everyone is staying warm - if necessary find some spare clothing for them.

Keep an eye on the time and know when it will be getting dark. Head for home before darkness sets in, even if it means not attaining the original trip objective.

Novices may have no idea prior to the trip what they can or cannot do. Thus, it is not their fault if they are slow, and the pace of the trip should be adjusted to suit their capabilities. NO NOVICE SHOULD EVER BE LEFT BEHIND!

If Someone Gets Lost

Determine as best as possible the time and location they were last seen.

If time and conditions permit, search for them; however, do not split up the group and risk having someone else get lost.

Return to base camp or the trailhead by dark.

Notify the RCMP. Have complete details available - person's description, clothing, last location seen, vehicle and license number at the trailhead, etc.

At the End of the Trip

See that all persons are back to the vehicles, and that all vehicles start, before anyone drives away.

Passengers need to reimburse their driver for the use of the vehicle. Ideally passengers will bring some small change to be able to easily pay for gas. Cars cost more than just gasoline, so paying for your driver's gas share (if not more) would likely be appreciated.

Let the designated contact person know that you have returned safely.

Contribute to the VOC's knowledge of local areas and conditions by submitting a trip report, or documenting the destination on the trip ideas section of the VOC Wiki.

Wiki trip pages

The wiki is a great way to organize a trip. In order to make things as smooth as possible, please consider the following:

If there is going to be a limit on the # of people on a trip, decide at the start and state the limit before anyone signs up

Wiki pages often stick around after the trip has taken place. Use template:trip date or template:trip signup to warn people not to sign up for your trip anymore. These templates use the current date and compare it to the day of the trip to display a warning message.

Include the full date (day, month year) in the wiki page to avoid future confusion

If these is a page in the trip ideas section that describes the trip, link to it from you trip organization page. template:main is useful for this.

How to run a hot trip

It's been noticed that some trips turn out hot, and some... not... here's some tested methods for making sure your trip is a hot one. Everybody knows that what will define a good trip in the end was the participants, not the weather, destination or objectives completed - yet getting those participants together in the first place is not as trivial as posting "Let's go on a trip!" on the board Friday night. It is more work to run a hot trip, but worth it.

Of course, sometimes you don't want more than a car-load. These are suggestions for running a big, popular trip. Remember - all the VOC's big annual trips started somewhere.

The trip idea must seem worthwhile

It doesn't have to actually be anything spectacular, but it should appear that the goal itself is worthwhile. Make it seem like an event, and make it sound like fun. What's the difference between "let's go skiing this weekend" and "VOC's Winter Powderfest" - Really, just the name... but it could make the difference between wondering whether or not you'll find enough people to fill your car and wondering how many people the terrain in your area can support.

For beginner friendly trips it's ideal if it's challenging enough that people feel they've accomplished something, but not so tough that people perish... but that's more of a fine art. Really, worry about making it seem like an event.

Advertise well in advance

At least 3 weeks is best. People need a chance to get excited, and book the time off work. You'll also need a chance to achieve critical mass (see below).

Appear organized

Have a link to the wiki page in your first post, and a link to the message board on the wiki. Use the preview button to make sure your link is actually working (you have to make the wiki page first, then post on the board with a link to the wiki, then update the wiki with a link to the board). Include lots of information on both the board and the wiki. People like to read it - it let's them get excited, makes people think the trip will be a success and makes it seem more like an event.

Have a pre-trip meeting

Events have pre-trip meetings, people like events. It gives beginners who might otherwise be scared a chance to ask questions (remember, no questions are stupid) and it's also a good opportunity to sort out who's actually interested and who just wrote their name down on the wiki. Not to mention all the logistics (cars, food, tents, etc) that you need to sort out.

Achieve critical mass

Once a significant number of people (usually about 10) have signed up interest is likely to explode - everybody sees everybody else is signed up and knows that this will be a trip to remember. You might need to prod around a bit though, to get the initial numbers up.

Encourage people to sign up on the wiki, even if they're just "interested". You'll sort interested from coming at the pre-trip anyway, and the numbers will make the trip seem more popular.

Send a personal email around to some friends/keeners you know will enjoy the trip to draw their attention to it.

Good follow-up

So, your trip was the latest best thing to happen in the participant's lives - awesome! Get the newest keener to post a trip report on the message board - this helps them feel more like part of the club, and increases the likelihood that they'll be running their own trips one day. Thank people for their participation and make everybody (even the slow people) feel good about what they've done. This will make achieving critical mass on your next trip even easier.